Natasha Lyonne credits doing acid as a teen as one of the reasons so many co-stars consider her so intelligent.
Natasha Lyonne has had an impressive last decade or so, with incredible performances in Orange Is the New Black, Russian Doll and now Poker Face. Lyonne has been praised by her co-stars as one of the most intelligent people in the industry. Lyonne attributes this to her early exposure to acid as a teenager.
In a new interview, Rolling Stone asked Natasha Lyonne why so many of her friends and colleagues consider her so intelligent. She replied, “I believe part of what they’re feeling is that I’ve done so many acid in my early years that I can process scientific, artistic, and philosophical concepts pretty organically. It’s almost as if I’ve seen the world split while I was a teenager reading Nietzsche. Or, I watched Clockwork orange too often as a child. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Whether Natasha Lyonne still feels the effects of those tab sheets, is unknown. However, she has made a number of smart career choices in recent years. Lyonne has been recognized by the Screen Actors Guild and the Emmy Awards over the past decade. The bulk of nominations have come from the Netflix hit Russian Doll, in which she plays a software developer stuck in a time loop where she’s forced to relive her 36th birthday-and her death day-in a seemingly endless cycle.
Natasha Lyonne also now stars in Rian Johnson’s murder mystery series Poker Face, again delivering a compelling performance that may end up another awards favorite for the actress.
Despite some missteps in both her professional and public life over the decades, Natasha Lyonne has proven to be a unique voice (no pun intended) in the industry, persevering through it all. You didn’t see Pee Wee’s Playhouse to know that little redhead kid would be a star.
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